Summary At approximately 2030 Pacific daylight time, the CirrusSR20 (registrationC-GEMC, serial number1241) with the pilot and three passengers on board, took off on a night VFR (visual flight rules) flight from Kelowna, British Columbia to Lethbridge, Alberta having originated in Seattle, Washington. The aircraft was climbing through 8800feet above sea level (asl), when it veered quite sharply to the left. The pilot corrected the heading and continued the climb. About 45seconds after resuming heading, the aircraft again veered to the left; again the pilot corrected the heading. Three minutes later the aircraft reached the cruising altitude of 9500feet asl. Approximately one minute later, with the autopilot engaged, the aircraft rolled 90degrees to the left. The pilot disconnected the autopilot, but found himself in a spiral dive from which he was unable to recover. He shut down the engine and deployed the Cirrus airframe parachute system (CAPS). At approximately 2111, the aircraft/parachute landed on a steep mountainside on the southern slope of Mount O'Leary, British Columbia at the 2300-foot level. The aircraft sustained substantial damage, but there were no injuries. A search and rescue operation was initiated. The four occupants were found and rescued early the following morning and returned to Kelowna by military helicopter. Ce rapport est galement disponible en franais. Other Factual Information The pilot held a private pilot licence issued by Transport Canada and endorsed for single-engine land aeroplanes, night, and VFROTT (over-the-top). The pilot's medical certificate had a restriction that glasses must be worn while flying and indicated that the last medical was conducted on 06December2002, valid for 24months. The pilot had accumulated approximately 1900flying hours on light, single-engine aircraft, including 350hours on the CirrusSR20. During the climb, the aircraft had a tendency to veer to the left, so the pilot checked the fuel tanks for balance. The left-wing tank was more than full and the right-wing tank less than full, so he selected the left tank. Later, at a time when he would normally have switched tanks, the fuel gauges showed that the left tank still had more fuel than the right tank, so he left the selection on the left tank. Records indicate that the aircraft was certified, equipped, and maintained in accordance with existing regulations and approved procedures. The aircraft was manufactured in2002 and had flown a total of 336.1hours before the accident flight. A review of the airframe, engine, and propellor logbooks showed nothing remarkable. The engine, a ContinentalIO-360-ES, serial number357481, had accumulated 336.1hours since new. Damage to the aircraft was mainly to its underside, and the nosewheel leg was broken. The engine crankshaft was damaged when a propellor tip contacted the ground. The right door was torn off during the CAPS deployment and was not found. It was impossible to examine the aircraft where it came to rest due to the precarious nature of the terrain. The aircraft was airlifted by helicopter to a secure site near the town of Edgewood, British Columbia where the airframe, engine, propellor and systems were examined for pre-accident defects. The emergency locator transmitter (ELT) was armed but did not activate. It was tested and found to be capable of transmitting. The elevator trim was found in the full nose-down position. The fuel remaining in both fuel tanks was drained: 38litres from the left tank and 55litres from the right tank. Later, the aircraft was moved by road to the owner's hanger in Picture Butte, Alberta where the examination for pre-accident defects was continued; none was found. The autopilot was removed for bench testing. All functions were found to be normal. The autopilot aileron trim actuator was found in the full right-wing down position. The turn coordinator was bench tested for function and autopilot outputs, and was found to be serviceable. The artificial horizon and horizontal situation indicator were not tested because the autopilot is not connected to either unit. Baggage and equipment were removed from the aircraft and weighed at 39.7pounds using certified scales. Using information provided by the pilot, the aircraft's weight at take-off from Seattle was calculated to be approximately 3235pounds, 235pounds over the maximum allowable take-off weight (MTOW) of 3000pounds. The centre of gravity (CofG) was calculated to be29.72% of the mean aerodynamic chord (MAC); the allowable CofG range was 23% to31.25%MAC. The calculations were repeated for the take-off from Kelowna, and the aircraft weighed approximately 3060pounds, 60pounds over the MTOW with the MAC at28.95%. Calculations indicate the aircraft was within its weight and CofG limitations at the time of the occurrence. The impact forces were not great enough to activate the armed ELT. A switch in the cockpit permits manual activation, but this switch could not be reached safely after the accident. The Pilot's Operating Handbook and FAA Approved Airplane Flight Manual for the Cirrus DesignSR20 states in Section3, Emergency Procedures, that after deploying the parachute, the ELT is to be selectedOn. Figure1. Radar track of C-CGEMC Radar data show that the aircraft was first detected at 2043:56 Pacific daylight time1 at a position 13nautical miles (nm) southeast of Kelowna Airport, on an east-southeast heading, climbing through 5700feet, with a ground speed of 100knots. The aircraft climbed steadily on that heading until 2100:34 when, at an altitude of 8800feet and a ground speed of 100knots, it made a fairly abrupt turn to the left reaching a heading of 325True(T) before correcting back to the east-southeast heading. At 2103:18 the aircraft made another left turn, reaching a heading of 052T before again correcting to the east-southeast heading. At 2106:16, the aircraft reached 9500feet and 25seconds later began a turn to the south. At 2107:14 the event began. The last radar return was at 2107:53 as the aircraft descended through8100feet. At 2100, 11minutes before the accident, the reported weather at Castlegar, British Columbia, 32nm southeast of the accident site, was as follows: wind 360T at 8knots; visibility 15statute miles (sm); broken clouds at 9000feet; temperature 12C; dew point 3C; altimeter setting30.16; remarks: 5oktas2 altocumulus, last observation, next at 0600, sea level pressure1022.0hectopascals. The graphical area forecast for the area between Kelowna and Cranbrook, British Columbia for 2300, 1hour49minutes after the accident, called for the following conditions: scattered stratocumulus clouds based at 7000feet asl topped at 12000feet asl; prevailing visibility more than6sm. Upper air analyses at Kelowna covering the period of the accident indicate the winds at the 10000foot level were northerly at16knots.